Transcript Erice_2008 - Harvard University Department of Physics

Erice International Seminars
40th Session number 7
“Nuclear Power Present and Future”
August 21st 2008
Richard Wilson
Harvard University
Introductory remarks
In 1972 actual (busbar) nuclear costs in
USA including paying off the mortgage
were 0.55 cents/kwh (Connectict Yankee)
Less costly than electricity from coal.
Industry made future estimates at
1 cent/kwh
Widespread enthusiasm for nuclear
powered electricity
followed by France and other countries.
Dow Chemical started a plant to produce
process heat as well.
Industry leaders
talked about a nuclear electric economy
(Philip N. Ross paper at back)
including:
plugin hybrid cars
electrically operated heat pumps
Suggested that 90% of US energy use could
be nuclear electric
That possibility remains if we want it
The USA had built an infrastructure
Nuclear engineering Departments
Training in the Nuclear Navy
Many manufacturers:
Wesinghouse, GE, Babcock and Wilcox,
Combustion Engineering, General Atomic
But starting about 1980 US canceled
nuclear plants, and dismantled the
infrastructure.
Coal plants which fit into a system in a
similar way are still being built
If the 1975 momentum had been
maintained we would have done 5 times as
much as the Kyoto agreement in reducing
carbon dioxide emissions.
One major reason for the change was
public opposition
which led to strong regulation
e.g Point Beach, Wisconsin
staff went from 208 (including 3 security
personnel) in 1972 to over 800 in 1982
Inherently governments must be more
involved with nuclear power (waste, etc)
than for
most other energy technlogies and
this leaves scope for public opposition.
The issues of this session are:
Are the reasons for the turning away from
nuclear understood?
Have the reasons been addressed?
Can we move forward again?
Will we move forward again?